What are somatic memories?

Trauma specialist Bessel Van Der Kolk posits that trauma is written into the somatic, or bodily, memory rather than the semantic memory. This somatic memory is essential to understanding trauma as this memory is repeated in the traumatised body.

What does somatic experiencing look like?

Somatic Experiencing sessions involve the introduction of small amounts of traumatic material and the observation of a client’s physical responses to that material, such as shallow breathing or a shift in posture.

What is a somatic approach?

Somatic approaches are used to engage the relationship between mind, body, brain, and behavior. Somatically trained therapists use interventions to help calm their clients’ nervous system, and create more ease in the healing process.

How does the body store memories?

Sounds, smells, touches, tastes. But the memory is not held in your mind, locked somewhere in the recesses of your brain. Instead, it’s held in your body, all the way down at the cellular level. That’s because our cells store memories – information – about our experiences, habits, sensations, everything.

Are memories stored in the body?

Body memory (BM) is a hypothesis that the body itself is capable of storing memories, as opposed to only the brain. While experiments have demonstrated the possibility of cellular memory there are currently no known means by which tissues other than the brain would be capable of storing memories.

What does it mean to integrate trauma?

Trauma integration is a process in which trauma is acknowledged to be a part of an ongoing reality but is no longer at the center of experience, for it is now surrounded by awareness of resources for coping with past and present adversities.

What is historical trauma defined as?

Historical trauma is intergenerational trauma experienced by a specific cultural group that has a history of being systematically oppressed. Historical trauma can have an impact on psychological and physical health. Historical trauma is cumulative and reverberates across generations.

What is somatic body work?

Also known as somatic experiencing and somatic experiencing therapy, somatic therapy incorporates the mind, body, and spirit into therapeutic healing work. This therapy aims to help release how a physical body holds on to stress, tension, and trauma, rather than only resolving problems verbally.

How do you become somatic?

A 6-step somatic exercise:

1. Notice. Inhale and exhale.
2. Identify. Identify at what point in time and/or which part of your body began experiencing disturbance or stress.
3. Replay. Replay the scenario from calm state to stressed state, in slow motion (as if watching a slow movie).
4. Tune in.
5. Healing hands.